5 marketing tactics Realtors commonly use that can HURT their business (Part 2)

Real estate agents, you’ve got it tough. Many markets are crowded with agents and all of them offer exactly the same service at exactly the same price. Every agent seems to use calendars and bus benches to advertise.

If every agent is saying exactly the same thing, how do you differentiate? How do you position yourself as THE agent to call when someone wants to list?

This week, we’re looking at the different ways that Realtors try to attract attention from their prospects. All of these ideas will be familiar to you — in fact, you might even use some of them — but I’ll show you why these common real estate practices might be keeping you from success.

The marketing idea that can hurt a Realtor’s business:

“I GIVE GREAT SERVICE”

The idea: The agent promotes their service as being superior.

My opinion: Superior to what? All the experiences I’ve ever had with real estate agents who were helping me to buy or sell a home have been EXACTLY THE SAME. They’re all nice, they all engage me in conversation, they all do the paperwork, they all work on my behalf. I know (and so does everyone else) that the service I’ll receive from one agent will be comparable to the service I receive from someone else.

Folks, service does not sell. You have to have it if you want to stay in business, don’t get me wrong, but it shouldn’t be a tagline. Ask yourself this question: “Exactly what quality of service do I offer my clients that no other agent offers?” I think you will be hard-pressed to come up with the answer.

I hear lots of ideas on this matter when agents defend themselves. They say things like “I treat every listing as if it’s my own home” or “I’ll take you by the hand and walk you through the sale”. These sound great, but every other agent does these things, too. (Yes, they do. Don’t argue with me on this point).

So drop the use of service as a differentiator unless you…

Pick people up in a chauffeured limo

Pay for their babysitting

Pay for lunch and coffee

Flood them with free stuff

Personally visit when the deal closes with a bottle of expensive wine

Help them to arrange the details of the move

… I could go on and on here, but I think you get the idea. Your service needs to be jaw-droppingly amazing to be able to advertise with that you offer exceptional service.